Cumbria urged to follow guidelines to avoid Leicester-style lockdown

210720 - Covid19 Carlisle, Colin Cox - Border

Cumbria's Director of Public Health, Colin Cox, has urged the public to follow the government guidelines on social distancing to prevent Carlisle facing a return to lockdown.

It follows more positive tests for Covid-19 in the Carlisle area. People who attended three pubs in the city earlier this month are being urged to get tested, even if they don't have symptoms.

Speaking to TV Border, he said, "We are nowhere near a Leicester-style lockdown at the moment and the critical thing for me is that we can stop that. We can prevent that from happening if people take this seriously and follow the guidelines"

Speaking about pubs collecting customer details for track and trace, Mr Cox urged businesses to act responsibly.

"It's been happening to a very a limited extent. A couple of the pubs involved, it hasn't happened at all, and one of them we've got very limited contact details. So I would urge pubs to be thinking very clearly about this as well. It's really important, if you want to stay open and you want to not end up back in a local lockdown situation, then it's really important that you help us with this. Take that seriously, get those contact details, it helps us out."

The three pubs affected are:

  • The Turf, Carlisle – Thursday 9 July, Friday 10 July and Sunday 12 July

  • Lloyds Bar, Carlisle – Saturday 11 July

  • The Museum, Carlisle – Monday 13 July

A group of people who attended the pubs on these dates, and also attended a house party, have been linked to recent coronavirus cases. A total of six people associated with this group have tested positive.

The key public health messages are still:

  • Wash or sanitise hands regularly

  • Observe social distancing rules

  • Wear face masks or coverings in enclosed public spaces

  • If you have symptoms, self-isolate and get tested

  • Follow advice to self-isolate if asked

Testing is available in Carlisle at Brunton Park from Monday to Wednesday and in Penrith at the Rugby Club 7 days a week. People can book a test here.

Testing is also available in Annan and Gretna.

People can find more information about testing locations here.

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